late night reflections
by lannistersdebt
Summary: Snape receives news he wasn't quite expecting, but he can't say he's very displeased about it. Written for Round 11 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition.


The night air was crisp and refreshing, a welcome change from the stuffiness inside the Manor. Though it was only the beginning of October, the elves maintained fires in every grate available and the result was reminiscent of everything summer was supposed to be. Narcissa didn't have the heart to request that they stop, as they were only trying to be helpful, which led to frequent escapes to the gardens her ex-husband had once maintained so dutifully.

Severus cast a glance over at her still form in the grass, wondering yet again why she didn't just let him cast a cooling charm in their bedroom so they could sleep in it at night. He had recently stopped asking her – her answer never changed from "Does it actually matter?" – and just settled for spreading quilts over the ground. Soon enough, the weather would change again and they would be back inside, where they could use their bed.

The wizard turned his head to look back toward the stars, glad to be able to see them here. It was peaceful, lying there picking out the constellations. He hadn't had time for it since he was a young boy, when he would sneak out of his house after his father had finally consumed enough alcohol to fall into a drunken sleep. Most nights, he would go over to Lily's and they would settle down in the corner of her yard. Other times they would go to the playground they first officially met at. Each of them would choose a seat on the swing set and see who could fly closest to the stars before laying down and counting them.

Five months ago, he had never imagined that he would even be looking at the night sky again, much less have Narcissa at his side.

The witch was tough, he had to give her that. After the battle had finished and his body failed to be accounted for, she cornered Potter and demanded he take her to the last place he had seen Snape. The boy had been reluctant, but complied, and had since told Snape that he wasn't sure he could face seeing all the blood again. Narcissa hadn't cared, and for that, he would be eternally grateful. It was because of her that he was still alive. Potter initially hadn't taken his pulse, had just assumed that he died, and then left. Narcissa was different. She had refused to accept him as dead until there was no pulse, and when her fingers found first his wrist and then his neck and felt a faint throb, she finally let her tears come.

"What're you thinking about?" Her voice was suddenly in his ear, which meant she'd moved back onto the quilt.

"Life. You." He adjusted his arm so she could move closer, suddenly wanting her to be as near as possible. She rested her head on his shoulder as they just lay in silence for a few minutes, until he couldn't resist anymore. "When you came to find me after the war… Why did you do it?"

"Because I was in love with you." She'd answered the question before, but never so tenderly. "I couldn't stand the thought of not knowing where your body was, of not knowing for sure."

She wasn't lying, he knew. Their relationship had been brief before that final battle, just a few stolen evenings, but they had known each other for years and he had been in love with her even while he loved Lily. "I didn't expect to live."

"I know." She kissed his jaw. "None of us did…not around the Dark Lord." _But especially not you, since you were working for Dumbledore still._ It went without saying.

"Mm."

They were silent for a long while then, each lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't until the air grew colder and Narcissa drew their second quilt closer around them that she spoke again. "Severus? I have a bit of an announcement for you… One I didn't intend to make tonight."

He raised a brow, curious, and his fingers slowed from tracing designs on her shoulder. "Go ahead."

"Well…" She propped herself up on her elbow so she could look at his face. "I've been feeling a bit off lately, and I slipped out a few days ago to see a doctor. I thought I was sick, but I'm not."

Realization started to dawn in his eyes. "Are you saying…?"

"Yes!" She laughed, and the sound was like music in the cool air. "We may be the oldest couple sending a child off to Hogwarts a few roads down the road."

They didn't speak after that, for there were no words to be said. There were only actions, and those actions made it clear how both of them felt.

* * *

On Christmas Eve, they fell asleep on the floor in the library, books open all around them. Severus didn't know what time he'd slipped into his slumber, but when he woke, it was still dark and the fire in the grate was burning considerably lower than it had been earlier. He looked beside him at his fiancé, taking in everything he could about her. She was a sight he never grew tired of. His eyes lingered on her face, made golden from the flames, and he felt grateful all over again that she'd saved him.

With a quick flick of his wand he added a couple more pieces of wood to the fire, knowing they would want the warmth later, and leaned over to cup Narcissa's jaw in his palm. She didn't stir, and if anyone had asked what was going through his mind as he looked at her, he would have said that he couldn't help but think of how delicate she was.

Truthfully, as he stretched out alongside her, he was thinking about how delicate life was and how thankful he was to have helped create one.

* * *

 _ **a/n;  
**_

This was written for Round 11 of the Harry Potter Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition.  
I write as Beater 1 for the Montrose Magpies.  
The round prompt was Top of the Pops (aka some of the biggest songs ever).  
The song for the Magpies was Aerosmith's "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (which is one of my favorite songs).  
My particular line for inspiration was " _Lying close to you, feeling your heart beating_."  
My prompts were:  
\- 1 (word); delicate  
\- 9 (word); announcement


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